This book examines dominant discourses in multiculturalism and cultural identity globally. It critiques dominant discourses and debates pertaining to multiculturalism and cultural identity, set against the current backdrop of growing social stratification and unequal access to quality education. It addresses current discourses concerning…

The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly shifted the delivery of teaching and learning, particularly for adult English learners (ELs) and international students enrolled in US institutions. This study investigates EL perspectives of their English instructors during the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote learning in the spring of 2020 through a…

While pedagogical translanguaging has been shown to have substantive positive impact on student learning outcomes internationally, adult education has not yet widely embraced the concept. This paper introduces the idea of translanguaging, the concept of encouraging students to rely on their existing linguistic knowledge when learning a new…

This paper charts the historical and political contexts for the evolution of Chinese adult and continuing education over the past 40 years, focusing on the national adult education reforms and relevant policies, and establishing the national lifelong education system. The progress and transformations of Chinese adult education, including how…

In the context of devolution, this paper argues that there is a distinctively Welsh flavour to FE and Skills policy, but that its nature and formation needs to be understood both intrinsically and relationally, especially in terms of its relationship to parallel policy developments in England. Consideration is given to structural aspects and…

The concepts of adult literacy and adult education have been predominantly framed by the discourse of development in Nepal whereby literacy programmes are designed to combat illiteracy with the purpose of promoting the socio-economic and human development in the country. In this effort, certain groups of women and ethnic minorities have been…

Critical theory and transformative learning are two seminal theories that have incited a deluge of literature, fueled many discussions, and triggered much debate. Their relevance is enduring, and they are undeniably a great asset to the scholarship of adult education, but the two theories are far from fully developed or explored. Our purpose in…

The objective of this study is to examine the associations between the motivation to learn, basic skills (i.e. literacy and numeracy), and organised adult education and training (AET) participation among the middle-aged and older adults in the USA. Rapid technological advancement and globalisation necessitate individuals to engage in lifelong…

Adult learning remains an important component of educational systems in countries all over the world, particularly because it seeks to explain how adults obtain education through formal, non-formal and informal modes. While many education providers and researchers focus on increasing resource support and the development of the knowledge and skills…

Adult education is a key component of worldwide collaborative efforts to achieve social justice aims, such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Such collaborative efforts require the involvement of all sectors, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In particular, given the prevalence of globalising and neoliberal influences on…

Purpose: This report captures the experiences of 56 participating community education organisations across Ireland and aims to uncover trends and issues in funding models. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods research was undertaken in three phases. Phase one involved an online- survey, which asked about primary and secondary sources of…

This paper reports the results of a study of adult ethical development in Christian congregations. Using an empirical hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, this study examined how five pastors understand and encourage ethical development, creating an in-depth analysis and interpretation of their perceptions of the phenomenon of adult ethical…

Educational campaigns are more complicated when members of our audiences hold scientific misconceptions related to new technologies. Our prairie strips research and education team produced a brief, focused video aimed to dispel a misconception related to the effect of prairie strip plants' roots on agricultural drain tiles in the Midwest. Our…

The authors introduce readers to three design features of the University of Rhode Island's Summer Institute in Digital Literacy, a 42-hour, weeklong professional learning experience in digital literacy for educators, librarians, college faculty, and other adult learners. The program is explicitly designed to promote reflection on one's motivations…

Although education theory in general includes important insights related to the relationship between multiculturalism and pedagogy, a critical analysis of what are considered culturally responsive western adult education methods, such as Experiential Learning Cycle & Dialogue Education (ELC) suggests significant adaptations should be made when…